The Modern Warfare 4 beta start time is almost here, offering players the first chance to go hands-on with 2026's return to the Modern Warfare series. This comes after two years of Black Ops games, developed by Treyarch, so those of you hoping for a significant shift in gameplay and feel to Call of Duty are in luck.
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For the first time in series history, Modern Warfare is going to Korea, with a story set during a conflict between North and South Korea. Not only that, but alongside the multiplayer mode, you can also experience a campaign mission as part of the beta. Here's everything you need to know about the Modern Warfare 4 beta start time, along with details on how to get into the beta and get a code.
What time does the Modern Warfare 4 beta start in your time zone?
The Modern Warfare 4 beta starts at 2 p.m. EDT on Friday, Aug. 21. Here's how that looks in your time zone:
11 a.m. PDT on Friday, Aug. 21 for the west coast of North America
2 p.m. EDT on Friday, Aug. 21 for the east coast of North America
3 p.m. BRT on Friday, Aug. 21 for Brazil
7 p.m. BST on Friday, Aug. 21 for the United Kingdom
8 p.m. CEST on Friday, Aug. 21 for western Europe
3 a.m. JST on Saturday, Aug. 22 for Japan
4 a.m. AEST on Saturday, Aug. 22 for the east coast of Australia
However, this is just for the first closed beta weekend, which means you need a code to play (more information on that below). On the other hand, the second beta weekend, which is open to everyone, starts at 1 p.m. EDT on Friday, Aug. 28. Here's when that is in your time zone:
10 a.m. PDT on Friday, Aug. 28 for the west coast of North America
1 p.m. EDT on Friday, Aug. 28 for the east coast of North America
2 p.m. BRT on Friday, Aug. 28 for Brazil
6 p.m. BST on Friday, Aug. 28 for the United Kingdom
7 p.m. CEST on Friday, Aug. 28 for western Europe
2 a.m. JST on Saturday, Aug. 29 for Japan
3 a.m. AEST on Saturday, Aug. 29 for the east coast of Australia
Both beta weekends end at 1 p.m. EDT on the following Tuesday(Aug. 25 and Sept. 1 respectively).
How to get a Modern Warfare 4 beta code
There are two ways of guaranteeing access to the Modern Warfare 4 closed beta. The first, and most straightforward, method is to simply pre-order the game on your platform of choice, excluding the Nintendo Switch 2, which the beta will not be on. Pre-ordering the game will grant you a code you can redeem.
Alternatively, you can subscribe to Discord Nitro. If you have an active subscription, go to the Nitro Home section of Discord and scroll down. You should find the option to play Modern Warfare 4 early here; just select the option to "unlock reward" and follow the instructions.
From 12 p.m. EDT on Thursday, Aug. 20, you can also preload the Modern Warfare 4 closed beta if you have access. Everyone else can preload ahead of the second weekend from the same time on Thursday, Aug. 26. %!s()
Shelly Flood S Gen4 Brings Matter, Zigbee, and Local Home Assistant Control for $28
Shelly
Smart home enthusiasts’ favorite Shelly has taken the covers off a new smart water leak sensor, with the Flood S Gen4 landing with Matter support, Wi-Fi and Zigbee connectivity, and a design built to spot even small amounts of water.
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Priced at $27.99, the compact, battery-powered sensor is designed for the places where leaks are most likely to go unnoticed; whether that's underneath a washing machine, below a sink or tucked behind a toilet.
Rather than using the small metal pins that are found on many water sensors, the Flood S Gen4 has three large stainless steel contact pads running across its underside.
The idea is to give water more surface area to make contact with, allowing the sensor to pick up small drops and leaks, including clean or low-conductivity water such as air conditioning condensation.
The Flood S Gen4 has both Zigbee and Matter (over Wi-Fi) connectivity and Home Assistant users can also just add it locally without having to pair through Matter or Zigbee.
However, going down the Matter path opens up cross-platform connectivity through the likes of Alexa, Apple Home, SmartThings and pretty much any other smart home ecosystem.
When water is detected, the sensor can sound its built-in alarm while also sending a notification to your smartphone and it can also be used outside for rain detection.
Using whatever smart home platform you prefer (or indeed the Shelly app) you could also set up automations to respond when a leak is detected. Think cutting power to appliances such as a washing machine or dishwasher, or having a smart water shut-off valve stopping the flow of water at your source.
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It offers three alarm profiles, dubbed intense, normal and economic, letting you prioritize quicker detection or longer battery life.
The Flood S Gen4 runs on an included CR123A battery, which Shelly says can keep it operating for up to two years.
It is available in the US now, priced at $27.99, through Shelly and authorized distribution partners.
Over the past few years, Shelly has quietly turned from an enthusiast/nerd-only brand into one that is much more accessible, allowing regular folk with just a bit of tech savviness to create building blocks that are capable of turning a dumb house into a modern smart home.
Read more about Shelly in my guide to making your dumb home smart. %!s()
Courtney Love and Jennifer Finch were instant friends from the moment they met in the early Eighties, and remained close until Finch’s untimely death at age 59 in July. Before Finch joined the influential punk-metal band L7 and long before Love formed Hole, the women made music together in a band called Sugar Babydoll (or Sugar Babylon, depending on the year) alongside future Babes in Toyland frontwoman Kat Bjelland. They remained close as their careers took off, which is a difficult prospect for touring musicians.
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The friends supported each other throughout the years. When Love’s husband, Kurt Cobain, died in 1994, Finch was her rock. And in June, when Love learned that Finch had been diagnosed with brain cancer, she traveled to be by her side and support her until the end.
Finch chronicled her friendship with Love in a memoir, “Shooting Up and Making Out: A Memoir of My Life in LA and L7,”which she co-wrote with Jeff Alulis andcompleted shortly before her death. It will be released via Da Capo on Jan. 19.
Here, Love pays tribute to her friend who shaped her life in her own words.
I hitchhiked to Hollywood from San Francisco in 1983. I wanted to go to Hollywood more than anything.
I met Jennifer at her father’s home. I’m a feral person. Growing up in foster care didn’t give me much likability or infrastructure for knowing how to relate to people. She had all that, and she covered for me. I’d only met three other people who liked me at that point in life. Jennifer was the most important.
Jennifer took to me immediately, and she never stopped protecting me from the summer of 1983 onwards. When you come to Hollywood and have no means, Jennifer’s house always had a couch. Her dad always had cheese and Cap’n Crunch. A safe couch. And she always had records. We spent thousands of hours listening to them and learning them.
That house is the closest thing to a home I’ll ever have.
I’d come from Dublin, England, Portland, and New Zealand. My musical taste ran from [the Birthday Party’s] Drunk on the Pope’s Blood to U2 and Echo and the Bunnymen. This new SST hardcore scared me, but she made me see the wit in it. The George Clinton in the Chili Peppers, which I still find funny, and the depth.
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She dragged me to shows. There wasn’t a day she didn’t stand by the strange girl from up north. We had guitars and taught each other to play. The Runaways were our Sex Pistols.
She introduced me to Pat Smear. Without a doubt, Pat is who I told Kurt he should ask to be in Nirvana when he was depressed that his bandmates made him sad. He wanted a happy bandmate. I called Pat.
In 1988, when nobody in L.A. would have wagered on me, Jennifer cosigned me to Flea. Flea said yes, and we had the Chili Peppers’ rehearsal space, which is why there is Hole.
Courtesy of Jennifer Precious Finch’s archive
Courtesy of Jennifer Finch’s Archive
In my 62 years, I can think of nobody more loyal or honourable. A true friend, who also gave me the security of having one house where I was safe.
It’s worth noting that she was clean and sober for 37 years [at the time of her death]. She joined L7 in 1986 and helped make it the force it became, doing all that grunge without once getting high.
Jennifer was a teenage terror. She ran the tables on all the Dogtown Betties and all the Hollywood street girls. She was queen boss. She ruled the roost of the teenage gangs. Back then, the LAPD more than once tossed us into dumpsters or shoved us around. She was fearless with them.
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When Kurt died, Jennifer was the general in Seattle. She guarded my door like an armed soldier. She confronted and stopped Kurt’s managers and a suit from trying to leave our house with a Flipper album and a Bunnymen album. The joke was on that guy. Clearly not a Kurt lover.
Kurt adored Jennifer, and she was one of the few people he spoke to a few times a week. She got me through that horrible month and didn’t leave my side.
On June 10, when I entered that house, I saw terror and entrapment drowning in her eyes. For five weeks, my only job was to help make sure she had the best possible end-of-life care, until July 18.
There are people here who stood up and showed real heroism.
There were no means, no money, and no access to the men I know with power, but my manager said, “Who cares if there’s no money? She was in one of the most important bands ever.” That gave my heart the dignity Jennifer deserved.
When it was finally undeniable that she was dying, my job was to make sure she was surrounded by love in a safe place, while her medical team kept her comfortable.
Jennifer Precious Finch was 10,000 levels of funny. She could not have written her chaotic ending better herself.
More than 100 people were fighting to get in, arguing that they were on the list as if it were a club, because she had more than 100 passionate friends who would hock their houses for her. There were bouncers rotating at the door, people arguing about playlists and almost fist-fighting, duvets from the Chateau Marmont, a Sikh saint with his crystal xylophone, robes and slippers, Apple Pan and Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles. The tired, the sick, the hungry, the famous and tons of ex-boyfriends, all regretting their wrongs. She loved it. Everyone remembering her with love and sobbing.
At 4 in the morning, when her body shut down and the medical staff said it was time, I heard someone say, “But we ordered breakfast for 8, and Flea’s coming at 9.”
I laughed.
It was an Andy Kaufman, Carrie Fisher exit. It was Steve Jobs saying, “Oh wow,” as he saw whatever was on the other side and left all of us guessing until it’s our turn.
It was funny as hell. Chaotic, like her. Going out in the world’s most glamorous hospital wing — the Billy Wilder wing where Elizabeth Taylor died — named after the director of Marilyn’s best movie [Some Like It Hot] and, consequently, the best movie about an all-girl band ever, with the greatest last line in cinema history: “Nobody’s perfect.”
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Waiting for craft services, our favourite trumpet player and her medical team keeping her comfortable is the most Jennifer Finch thing ever.
Amazon announced Wednesday a major expansion of Amazon Prime Air, its drone delivery service, with plans to reach nearly 500 U.S. cities by the end of 2026. This marks a significant milestone as it expands the service’s footprint by roughly 6x its current reach.
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Prime Air will soon launch in 11 locations: Tolleson, Arizona; Ruskin, Florida; Kansas City, Kansas; Papillion, Nebraska; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Hazel Park and Pontiac, Michigan; and Richmond, San Antonio, Richardson, and Waco, Texas.
The return to Tolleson is particularly notable given a drone accident that occurred there last year. In October 2025, two drones collided with the boom of a crane. Amazon’s drones have also previously drawn scrutiny following incidents, including clipping an internet cable and crashing into a garden and an apartment building.
This is likely why Amazon reiterated its focus on safety as part of the announcement. The company highlighted Prime Air’s “industry-leading Detect-and-Avoid system,” which is designed to continuously monitor the airspace and surroundings of each drone. The drones also rely on onboard cameras and sensors for navigation, obstacle detection, and delivery. Plus, Amazon said the drones are designed to operate in real-world conditions, including light rain and a range of temperatures.
Additionally, Prime Air operates under Federal Aviation Administration Part 135 certification, the same regulatory framework used by commercial air carriers.
“Customers already turn to Amazon for fast Same- and Next-Day Delivery, and Prime Air provides them an even speedier option when they need it, with deliveries in as fast as 30 minutes,” David Carbon, vice president of Amazon Prime Air, said in a statement, adding that the service has “already delivered hundreds of thousands of packages to customers by drone this year.”
The service currently operates across seven states, including Arizona, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, and Texas. Amazon says launches in Georgia, Ohio, Illinois, Idaho, and New York are also coming soon.
Prime members receive free ultrafast drone delivery on eligible orders of $50 or more. For Prime members placing eligible orders under $50, the delivery fee is $2.99. Non-Prime customers pay a $4.99 delivery fee. Nearly all items 5 pounds or less can be delivered by drone.
Amazon’s push comes as other major companies continue building their own drone delivery networks. Walmart and Google parent Alphabet’s Wing have been expanding a competing drone delivery operation, which the companies have described as the largest drone delivery network in the U.S. In June, the companies added seven new markets, including Phoenix, Philadelphia, and the Bay Area.
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Lauren covers media, streaming, apps and platforms at TechCrunch.
You can contact or verify outreach from Lauren by emailing [email protected] or via encrypted message at laurenforris22.25 on Signal.
The Israeli army has confirmed that soldiers marked Palestinian detainees with numbers on their foreheads during a raid on the town of Qabatiya, south of Jenin in the occupied West Bank earlier this week.
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Palestinian news outlets reported the incident, which took place on Monday.
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According to the Palestinian Wafa news agency, Israeli forces had deployed in several neighbourhoods of Qabatiya, with local sources telling the news agency that soldiers had searched a number of houses and arrested several young men.
The army also said in a statement that troops had arrested two people during the raid who were suspected of “planning and promoting terrorist plots”.
However, footage published on Monday from the raid showed a Palestinian man with the number “44” written on his forehead, sparking outrage.
Here’s what we know.
What happened?
One of the detainees, Ahmad al-Hathnawi, who was marked with the number, told Palestinian media that this was the first time that the army had written numbers on his forehead.
Al-Hathnawi explained that he had been released from Israeli detention 10 days ago for the fourth time, but said that he had never experienced something like this before.
“It was just interrogation and terrorism, intimidation of the families and the freed detainees,” he said.
“They are basically trying to send a message that if settlers come into the area, there will be no problems, and that the settlers are going to remain here for a long time,” he added.
Israeli settlers, often tacitly or overtly facilitated by Israeli troops, have in recent weeks significantly ramped up attacks on Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank.
Al-Hathnawi explained that there were about “50 detainees, including blindfolded women, in the house” where he was interrogated.
But the practice of marking Palestinian detainees with numbers is not new, and was previously reported in April after soldiers had written numbers on the hands of Palestinian women in Jenin. At the time, the Israeli army acknowledged that it was “poor judgement”.
What has the army said?
In a statement on Tuesday, the Israeli army told the Times of Israel that soldiers had marked detainees in the occupied West Bank.
“Commanders made clear to the troops the seriousness of the act, and lessons have been learned,” the military said.
Knesset lawmaker Ahmad Tibi condemned the marking and called it “shocking and repulsive” in a post on X.
“This is what dehumanisation looks like: erasing the person and turning them into a number. An image that recalls dark periods and should shock every person,” he wrote.
What is going on in the West Bank?
Israeli forces have ramped up their campaign of raids and arrests in the occupied West Bank.
On Monday, illegal settlers put up tents on Palestinian land to create a new settlement outpost near Ramallah, while another group of settlers continues to besiege the village of Qusra, now for the 11th day.
The mayor of Qusra told Al Jazeera on Wednesday that he fears the siege of families in the town could represent a “new approach” aimed at forcing Palestinians from their homes.
He added that the families’ food supplies would run out within two days and that they urgently needed supplies and medicines.
At the same time, the Palestinian prime minister’s office said on Wednesday that Israeli forces and settlers had carried out “more than 467 attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank in just one week”.
“At least 75 Palestinian homes and structures were demolished. A relentless escalation of violence, dispossession, and destruction,” the office wrote on X.
On Sunday, Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, told Al Jazeera that settler violence and the ongoing siege in Qusra had reached a “climax”.
“Israel has outsourced coercion to the settlers and is using them to advance ethnic cleansing,” Albanese said. “This is a crime… This is utter terrorism; these settlers should be investigated and prosecuted.” %!s()
